15 OCTOBER 1954, Page 17

Ferret for Sale

Dai used to spend his annual holiday with a ferret and nets, having arranged with his employer each year so that his respite came late when ferreting was at its best. This year the holiday plans have gone wrong. The warrens would produce no more than one or two sickly rabbits. What is worse, the market has disappeared. Few people will eat rabbit. It was clear when I encountered Dai that he was far from happy about his holiday. Imagine spending a fortnight at home without an expedition with his ferret It was a disas- ter. He asked my advice. How long would the plague last ? Should he sell his nets and ferret or keep them in the hope that things might improve ? I pointed out that a long- term view might be wiser since no one would pay much for his ferret while rabbits are scarce and no one needs nets at the moment. This was not much encouragement. What was a fellow to do, unless he went and dug himself some lugworm and spent his holiday fishing, but could anything compare with the fun to be had rabbiting at this time of year ? He felt as 1 might feel if someone told me that overnight all the trout had died.